From The Art of Entertaining by Jean Waldon, published by the Buzza Company of Minneapolis in 1924:

An “April Shower” for a Bride-t0-Be

Springtime is a glorious time in which to entertain for a Bride-t0-be, and April is noted for its “showers.” Therefore, let us combine a luncheon, a few tulips, a bit o’Bridge, twelve girl friends of the bride, and a parasol all in one, and call it a real shower!

If the Hostess asked ten girls to share the expense with her, they might easily “chip in” and buy a really beautifully monogrammed parasol for the guest of honor, without any one person spending too much money. Delegate to one girl the task of obtaining a sample of the bride’s traveling suit, and match as nearly as possible in a silk parasol.

The Hostess may arrange her luncheon table in the following manner. A centerpiece of dainty pink tulips placed in a glass basket, the handle of which is tied a crisp tulle bow of robin’s-egg blue, is unusual and decorative.

Place-cards are tiny parasols, containing a rhyming couplet underneath the fold, with a different message for each of the twelve girls present.

After the luncheon (which should be very simple), the guests are asked to find their Bridge tallies by searching the ouse.

Finally, someone discovers them, all hanging in groups of two, to the spokes of the open gift parasol. Each guest is then asked to detach the colorful little tally bearing her name and the two girls finding their tallies together from the same “spoke” are partners.

The tally belonging to the Hostess hangs alone, and that belongs to the honor guest is not to be found! Instead it is attached to the handle of the parasol, and the hostess then graciously presents the gift to its rightful owner on behalf of her friends. Upon the back of the tally belonging to the Bride-to-be, may be written the following verse, to which are signed all the names of the girls present:

After every little April shower

The skies are a brighter blue,

So may a shower of Happiness

Come every hour – to YOU!

***

Want to learn more about the Buzza Company and its work? Greetings, an exhibition chronicling the company’s history and its work, is showing at Hennepin History Museum through July 3, 2016.